Zubin Jelveh’s Odd Numbers blog at Portfolio.com from has a terrifc chart that ranks countries with a bailout in place by percentage of GDP.

Staggering – it makes the US $700B bailout seem like a drop in the bucket relative to other countries. Of course, more drops are coming. Incidentally, those countries on the list have been on a US consumer buying spree, including real estate.

Check out the Paulson interview on Charlie Rose on Tuesday. Is it just me, or was US Treasury Secretary Paulson’s defense of the current administration’s handling of the credit crunch and his job exit strategy strange? I wonder why he would not consider remaining in office (assuming the new president wants him) to oversee the largest financial crisis since the Great Depression?

At some point down the road, albeit later than sooner, won’t we see a surge in real estate activity? Stock market volatility is crazy and borrowers are restrained from financing now. Pent up demand and bloated inventory…

2 Responses to “[Getting Graphic] GDP Size Matters (Bailout-wise)”

Definitely uncertain times. With all of the liquidity already pumped and much more to come, you do have to wonder when the effects of this will hit the street. It’s not a matter of if, it’s simply a matter of when.

In looking at recent trends, it does look like many overheated markets are starting to see a leveling of housing inventory while sales numbers in many of these same locales have been trending upward over the past year. Additionally, there does seem to be a fair number of cash buyers who are seriously looking and already beginning to pick up property as a viable investment alternative rather than sticking with the current madness of the stock market.

In regards to housing, prices may have further to go but they have already come down a lot. Timing is everything but, timing doesn’t need to be perfect, it just needs to be reasonably good.

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About Jonathan Miller

Jonathan Miller is President and CEO of Miller Samuel Inc., a real estate appraisal and consulting firm he co-founded in 1986. He is a state-certified real estate appraiser in New York and Connecticut, performing court testimony as an expert witness in various local, state and federal courts. He holds the Counselors of Real Estate (CRE) and Certified Relocation Professional (CRP) designations. He is an Appraiser “A” Member of the Real Estate Board of New York and a member of Relocation Appraisers and Consultants, Inc.Learn More...

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Source: WSJ Yesterday evening Josh Barbanel at WSJ posted a milestone piece on the current building boom: Construction in New York City Goes Through The Roof: New residential permits surge as developers rush to qualify for tax break There has… Read More